Nominees Announced for 49th NAACP Image Awards-Mary J. Blige, JAY-Z & OWN Lead

LOS ANGELES, CA (November 20, 2017) – The nominees for the 49th NAACP Image Awards were announced today with Netflix and OWN leading the nominations in the television categories with 23 nominations and 17 nominations, respectively. In the recording category, RCA Records leads with 12 nominations, followed by Capitol Records with 6 nominations and Atlantic Records and Columbia Records both with 3 nominations. Universal Pictures leads with 10 nominations, followed by Annapurna and Open Road Films, both received 5 nominations in the motion picture categories. The Two-Hour LIVE TV special will air on TV One on Monday, January 15, 2018, the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday with a One-Hour Live Red Carpet Pre-Show.

“The NAACP Image Awards is the ultimate platform for artists and individuals of color who advocate for social justice to share their voices with millions, and to be recognized and celebrated,” stated Derrick Johnson, President and CEO, NAACP. “At a moment where there seems to be one tragic event after another in America, the NAACP Image Awards continues to be a beacon of light to the diversity reflected in television, music, film and literature that brings everyone together.”

The 49th NAACP Image Awards production team will be returning including Executive Producers Reginald Hudlin and Phil Gurin, Tony McCuin as Director, Byron Phillips as Producer, and Robin Reinhardt as Talent Producer.

NAACP members vote on the NAACP Image Awards winners from nominees in television, music, literature, and film. To become a member of the leading civil rights organization in the nation and immediately cast your vote go to www.naacp.org.

Following is the complete list of categories and nominees for the 49th NAACP Image Awards:

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR

Ava DuVernay

Bruno Mars

Chadwick Boseman

Chance the Rapper

Issa Rae

JAY-Z

TELEVISION

Outstanding Comedy Series

“Ballers” (HBO)

“black-ish” (ABC)

“Dear White People” (Netflix)

“Insecure” (HBO)

“Survivor’s Remorse” (Starz)

Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series

Anthony Anderson – “black-ish” (ABC)

Aziz Ansari – “Master of None” (Netflix)

Dwayne Johnson – “Ballers” (HBO)

Keegan-Michael Key – “Friends from College” (Netflix)

RonReaco Lee – “Survivor’s Remorse” (Starz)

Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series

Danielle Brooks – “Orange is the New Black” (Netflix)

Issa Rae – “Insecure” (HBO)

Loretta Devine – “The Carmichael Show” (NBC)

Niecy Nash – “Claws” (TNT)

Tracee Ellis Ross – “black-ish ” (ABC)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Ernie Hudson – “Grace and Frankie” (Netflix)

Jay Ellis – “Insecure” (HBO)

John David Washington – “Ballers” (HBO)

Omar Miller – “Ballers” (HBO)

Tituss Burgess – “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” (Netflix)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Leslie Jones – “Saturday Night Live” (NBC)

Marsai Martin – “black-ish” (ABC)

Tichina Arnold – “Survivor’s Remorse” (Starz)

Uzo Aduba – “Orange is the New Black” (Netflix)

Yvonne Orji – “Insecure” (HBO)

Outstanding Drama Series

“Greenleaf” (OWN)

“Power” (Starz)

“Queen Sugar” (OWN)

“This Is Us” (NBC)

“Underground” (WGN America)

Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series

Kofi Siriboe – “Queen Sugar” (OWN)

Mike Colter – “Marvel’s The Defenders” (Netflix)

Omari Hardwick – “Power” (Starz)

Sterling K. Brown – “This Is Us ” (NBC)

Terrence Howard – “Empire” (FOX)

Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series

Jurnee Smollett-Bell – “Underground” (WGN America)

Kerry Washington – “Scandal” (ABC)

Rutina Wesley – “Queen Sugar” (OWN)

Taraji P. Henson – “Empire” (FOX)

Viola Davis – “How to Get Away with Murder” (ABC)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Bryshere Gray – “Empire” (FOX)

Dondre Whitfield – “Queen Sugar” (OWN)

Joe Morton – “Scandal” (ABC)

Jussie Smollett – “Empire” (FOX)

Trai Byers – “Empire” (FOX)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Lynn Whitfield – “Greenleaf” (OWN)

Naturi Naughton – “Power” (Starz)

Samira Wiley – “The Handmaid’s Tale” (Hulu)

Susan Kelechi Watson – “This Is Us” (NBC)

Tina Lifford – “Queen Sugar” (OWN)

Outstanding Television Movie, Limited – Series or Dramatic Special

“Flint” (Lifetime)

“Shots Fired” (FOX)

“The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” (HBO)

“The New Edition Story” (BET)

“When Love Kills: The Falicia Blakely Story” (TV One)

Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Limited-Series or Dramatic Special

Bryshere Grey – “The New Edition Story” (BET)

Idris Elba – “Guerrilla” (Showtime)

Laurence Fishburne – “Madiba” (BET)

Mack Wilds – “Shots Fired” (FOX)

Woody McClain – “The New Edition Story” (BET)

Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Limited-Series or Dramatic Special

Jill Scott – “Flint” (Lifetime)

Oprah Winfrey – “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” (HBO)

Queen Latifah – “Flint” (Lifetime)

Regina King – “American Crime” (ABC)

Sanaa Lathan – “Shots Fired” (FOX)

Outstanding News/ Information – (Series or Special)

“News One Now” (TV One)

“Oprah’s Master Class” (OWN)

“The Story of Us with Morgan Freeman” (National Geographic)

“Through the Fire: The Legacy of Barack Obama” (BET)

“Unsung” (TV One)

Outstanding Talk Series

“Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC)

“Super Soul Sunday” (OWN)

“The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” (Comedy Central)

“The Real” (Syndicated)

“The View” (ABC)

Outstanding Reality Program/Reality Competition Series

“Iyanla: Fix My Life” (OWN)

“Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party” (VH1)

“Shark Tank” (ABC)

“The Manns” (TV One)

“United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell” (CNN)

Outstanding Variety or Game Show – (Series or Special)

“Black Girls Rock! 2017” (BET)

“Dave Chappelle: The Age of Spin & Deep in the Heart of Texas” (Netflix)

“Def Comedy Jam 25” (Netflix)

“Lip Sync Battle” (Spike)

“Saturday Night Live” (NBC)

Outstanding Children’s Program

“Doc McStuffins” (Disney Junior)

“Free Rein” (Netflix)

“Nella the Princess Knight” (Nickelodeon)

“Project Mc²” (Netflix)

“Raven’s Home” (Disney Channel)

Outstanding Performance by a Youth (Series, Special, Television Movie or Limited Series)

Caleb McLaughlin – “Stranger Things” (Netflix)

Ethan Hutchison – “Queen Sugar” (OWN)

Lonnie Chavis – “This Is Us” (NBC)

Marsai Martin – “black-ish” (ABC)

Michael Rainey – “Power” (Starz)

Outstanding Host in a Talk or News/Information (Series or Special) – Individual or Ensemble

Fredricka Whitfield – “Fredricka Whitfield” (CNN)

Morgan Freeman – “The Story of Us with Morgan Freeman” (National Geographic)